(2) Red wines

• Our rating:
• Wine 101 style: earthy and smooth
• Look for at: wine.com

I got this wine to go with the spaghetti I made tonight, and I was reminded how much I love a Ripasso. This one was good, not great, and with my tomato dish, the strong acid and dense red fruit was a nice companion. The earthy nose was better than the sharp mouth, but more complex tannins and a slightly softer taste would have pushed this wine a few notches higher for me. But for $13, it wasn’t a bad buy, and I’d get it again – unless there was another Ripasso for the same price I hadn’t yet tried. ($13)

• Our rating:
• Wine 101 style: smooth
• Look for at: wine.com

Even though the Nabers have adopted the Aussie spelling for their wine, the 2006 Shiraz is not quite as bold or over the top as the name might suggest. The 2006 from Flat Creek is a blend of 75% Shiraz and 25% Tempranillo, and the Tempranillo contributes aromas and flavors of plums and leather to the cherry notes brought by the Shiraz. The wine also displays toasted barrel aromas, such as mocha and coffee, on top of this medium-full bodied wine. ($22)

• Our rating:
• Wine 101 style: smooth
• Look for at: wine.com

With a name developed as a play on the copyrighted Italian wine moniker, Super Tuscan, Flat Creek Estate’s own Super Texan is a Sangiovese based blend that offers real varietal character. Opening with cherry, smoke, leather, and a little black olive, this wine is all Sangiovese. In the mouth the wine sticks to its Sangiovese backbone with dark, dried fruit, leather, and very fine grained tannin. This wine is definitely food friendly and would be welcome accompaniment for grilled meat or tomato based pasta dishes. ($20)

• Our rating:
• Wine 101 style: bold
• Look for at: wine.com

Of the three Pinots that Sea Smoke makes, I have always preferred Ten. The 2006 has a great nose of cherries and blackberries, with notes of toasted oak. This is a full bodied wine with lots of muscular fruit on top of silky tannins with a little dust thrown in. I think the 2006 Ten is a great cocktail and contemplation wine, if you have the money. ($75)

• Our rating:
• Wine 101 style: bold
• Look for at: wine.com

Located in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA in Santa Barbara County, California, Sea Smoke Vineyards specializes in making monster Pinot Noirs. By using ripe grapes, cold water soaks, extended maceration — the whole nine yards so to speak — they typically succeed. I have enjoyed Sea Smoke Southing in the past, and the 2006 is not bad wine… it is just not great. With a nose of spicy ripe fruit (not over ripe) and sage, the wine promises a little more than it delivers. In the mouth, the wine shows red and black berries and dusty tannins, but it lacks some of the body necessary to carry its 14+% alcohol. I still keep an eye out for Sea Smoke wines, but their price to value ratio is getting rather large. ($60)

• Our rating:
• Wine 101 style: smooth
• Look for at: wine.com

I found this California blend of Syrah, Merlot, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon at the HEB grocery store tonight for $8. I was super-excited to find such a great wine for the money until my girlfriend reminded me that it normally costs around $14. Oh well. The Joe Blow 2005 Red has a bit of pepper (from the Syrah), blackberry, tobacco, and chocolate on the nose, and rich fruit (from the Zin) in the mouth. With a medium-full body, mild tannins, and a touch of acid, this is a versatile house wine. The Joe Blow 2005 California White wine is very nice as well. ($12-14)

• Our rating:
• Wine 101 style: bold
• Look for at: wine.com

Marrietta’s non-vintage Old Vine Red is a very popular party wine. Made predominantly from Zinfandel, the Old Vine shows spicy red fruit, sweet oak, and a full bodied finish. The wine carries its 13.5% alcohol without too much trouble. Consider this wine for your next barbeque. ($10)

• Our rating:
• Wine 101 style: bold
• Look for at: wine.com

Made from approximately 90% Cabernet and 10% Carmenère, this red from Chile is a full bodied wine, and with 14.5% alcohol, this wine is not for the faint of heart. The nose shows smoke, tobacco, aged fruit, and damp earth nestled in plenty of tannin. For the money, this is a good Wednesday night Cabernet. ($10)

• Our rating:
• Wine 101 style: smooth
• Look for at: wine.com

I had this wine while watching Hamlet 2 (starring the fantastic British comedian Steve Coogan) last night at the Alamo Drafthouse South in Austin. I don’t know the vintage, but this wine was the oakiest, weirdest, grossest wine I can remember having in recent history. Do not buy it. Do not drink it. Trust me. This is the first 0-star review this site has given.

Hamlet 2, however, comes highly recommended by me, as are some of Coogan’s other works, such as I’m Alan Partridge and Tristram Shandy (so long as you can handle irreverent comedies). That’s right, you just read a love-fest for Steve Coogan thinly veiled as a wine review. Bully for you. ($8)

• Our rating:
• Wine 101 style: earthy
• Look for at: wine.com

This Chilean wine was decent, though a bit over-priced for what was in the bottle. An earthy Pinot Noir, there were notes of earth, barnyard, cedar, and a bit of red fruit. With light-medium body, light tannins, and food-friendly acid, this wine would pair well with chicken. However, for what you get, I’d pass it over for something a little cheaper. ($13)